This year both my girls will be in high school. While our district supplies them with a planner, neither of my girls feels it meets their needs. This year we’ve decided on Purple Trail Planners for both of the girls because they can be customized. Not only will each of them be able to customize the outside of their student planner, but the insides as well. Because I feel learning to effectively use a planner is an important life skill, I thought we’d share our experience in selecting a custom student planner.
Personal Requirements
The provided school planner is small, about 5×8″. I’m sure for some, it’s adequate. Both my girls feel it doesn’t provide enough space to write their assignments. Plus, there is no division for different classes, just one box for the day. The planner provided for the middle school and elementary grades did have individual spaces for each class every day.
Their other gripe is the lack of tabs to separate the months. Folding down the corners of the monthly calendar and using a binder clip to indicate the current week helped. But, when the bell is ringing, and only a few minutes to get to the next class, every moment counts.
I will give the school planner a bit of credit for trying… the first 8 pages are instructions on how to use the planner. Neither girl even noticed this, no has anyone ever suggested they read over it. The kids are just expected to use the planner.
It wasn’t until this past spring I realized the girls weren’t effectively using their planners. It came to my attention when separately, both girls expressed their amazement at my ability to juggle all sorts of activities. Not only do I work part-time, but have this blog and my skincare business. All three kids have sports, lessons, and appointments. They all know, if I don’t write it in my planner, it will probably get forgotten!
Custom Planner
Purple Trail offers planners in 8.5×11″ and 6×8″. The smaller size is only slightly larger than what they have now, but the interior layout is much more in-line with what both girls want. Either way, both JuneBug and Tasha want an 8.5×11″. A size that will be easier to find in their backpacks among the folders and notebooks.
Hardcover is another must. A hard surface to write on always comes in handy. And there are tons of choices of covers! Hardcover is an upgrade, but one we feel is worth it. They can customize the picture, the colors, even completely design their own!
The interior is available in multi-color or black and white. Tasha likes the color and JuneBug wants black and white but plans on using colored pens to add her own pops of color.
Each month is tabbed, making it easy to get to the monthly calendar with the weeks behind it.
Plus, the girls are able to add on up to 4 extra tabbed sections at the back of their planners. There are some great selections for teachers and moms. For students, there aren’t too many additional choices, but I’m encouraging the girls to add note pages for any additional brainstorming or journaling they may want to have space for in their planners.
I’m not opposed to the puzzles and games add on either! Afterall, we all need some mindless downtime!
Hopefully, we will get their school schedules in the next week or two so we can finalize their custom student planners.
Digital vs. Paper
JuneBug tried to use a digital app on her phone last year. But, she mainly ended up snapping a picture of assignments and then never entering things into the app. Even as tech-savvy as she is, she recognizes the value in writing things down.
Over the years I have lived by my planner, especially as a student and when working full time. With the advent of smart-phones, I tried to go digital. By far, the best digital planner app for me was Cozi, I actually still use the app for some features. It allows me to let everyone in the family know about things and share a grocery list. I do like having alerts sent to my phone, especially when I’m at work and can easily lose track of time!
Unfortunately, digital alone just never worked as well for me. The past few years I’ve tried a few different planners and now know exactly what I need. Purple Trail Planners offers us the flexibility to design a planner that suits each of our individual needs.
We have considered the options of trying to adapt the provided planner or working with a basic store-bought version. Yes, this would cost less. However, in the long run, it’s important to me they have the tools that help them achieve their goals. Learning to plan and effectively use our time is a valuable lesson. Plus, my time is valuable, so by the time I modify a ready-made planner to meet each of our needs, I may as well order the perfect one!
Finding the perfect planner is individual to each of us. When I knew I needed something more than just digital, the planner that got me on track was a digital download from Jane. I was able to print exactly the parts I wanted and put the pages in a binder. A 3-ring binder planner worked fine when I was home more. As the kids have gotten older, I seem to be more on the go and need something more portable.
As the new school year approaches, if you’re in the market for a new planner, check out the options out there, especially at Purple Trail. We all deserve to feel calm and collected when we know what the plan for the day is.
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As always, feel free… custom planners aren’t just for students!
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